Name: 4 Ingredient Honey Lime Chili Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 8-9 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on); 1 - 2 tbsp oil; 1/4 cup lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes); 2 cloves garlic, (minced); 1 tbsp chili powder; 1 - 2 tbsp honey

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This recipe for Baked Honey Lime Chili Chicken makes a super simple weeknight meal. These thighs are succulently sweet and spicy. You'll only need 4 main ingredients and one pan. This dish gets requested over and over again!

Honey Lime Chili Chicken Thighs on rice with lime slices.

This recipe for Honey Lime Chili Chicken Thighs needs only four main ingredients and one pan. Minimal prep, minimal clean-up, tasty food . . . that's my kind of meal.

If you've been following along here for a while, you'll know that lots of flavour plus minimal effort is my favourite combo.

And this honey-lime chicken recipe fits the bill. Chicken with lime, garlic, honey and a little chili powder makes a tasty dish, perfect for an easy weeknight meal.

One reader says, I've made this several times. It does not fail to please. It's my "go to" recipe for quick, mouth-bursting flavorful chicken. Thank you!
Annette

❤️Why you'll love these Honey Chili Lime Chicken thighs

only four main ingredients
one pan
quick to prepare
easy clean-up
everyone likes it!

Honey Lime Chili Chicken Thighs in a white dish with slices of lime

This recipe for Honey Lime Chili Chicken results in tender, juicy chicken that's a little sweet, a little sour, with a little heat from the chili powder. It has just the right amount of garlic-lime flavour to keep it interesting without being overpowering.

🛒 Ingredients

bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or breasts
oil
lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes)
garlic, minced
chili powder
honey

🔪 Instructions

Too easy! Just whisk the honey-lime mixture together, brown the chicken in an oven-proof skillet, add the sauce to the pan and finish baking it in the oven. That's it.

Heat oven to 375°F.
Whisk the lime juice, garlic, chili powder, and honey together and set aside.
Pat chicken dry to prevent spattering when you add it to the pan.
Heat an ovenproof skillet on the stovetop, then add oil. When it shimmers and ripples, carefully add the chicken, skin side down. Shake the pan a little to prevent sticking. Brown on one side until it turns a deep, dark golden colour (about 4-5 minutes), then flip and brown on the other side.
Remove from the heat, drain the excess oil, and pour the honey-lime-chili mixture over all.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175°F.
Serve garnished with extra lime slices.

Just whisk the honey-lime mixture, brown the chicken in an oven-proof skillet, add the sauce to the pan and finish baking it in the oven.

That's it!

❓How do I sear chicken without it sticking to the pan?

Heat an ovenproof skillet. Don't add the oil yet.
When it's hot, add a little oil, one with a high heat tolerance. Wait until the oil ripples. It will heat quickly.
Pat the chicken dry. Carefully add the chicken, skin side down.
Leave it alone. Don't go moving it around the pan or it will stick. Let it fully brown on one side, usually for four or five minutes, then flip it over using tongs, being careful not to rip the skin.
Brown on the other side, then follow the rest of your recipe instructions.

Honey Lime Chicken Thighs on a platter with lime slices.

👍🏼 Expert Tip: using boneless skinless chicken

If you want to use boneless, skinless chicken parts, you'll need to adapt this recipe to keep the chicken moist (which is what the skin helps to do).

Mix the honey-chili-lime sauce and toss the chicken parts in it. Transfer them to a baking dish and bake it in the oven at 375°F for 20 - 30 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Then remove the dish from the oven, tent it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Serve these honey lime chicken thighs over pasta, or with rice or low-carb Cauliflower Rice, green vegetables like Easy 5-minute Sesame Asparagus. Add a refreshing salad like this Mexican-inspired Mexican Corn Salad with Queso Fresco or this Cantaloupe Arugula Salad.

Love that Honey-Chili-Lime flavour? Try these:

You'll find many more delicious chicken recipes in the Chicken Category in my Recipe Index.

🍽 More easy chicken recipes

When you make these honey lime chili chicken thighs, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing how my recipes turned out for you, or what adaptations you made. Thanks in advance!

📖 Recipe